pistol barrel break in

My question is, how can a lead bullet at low velocity do anything to a steel bore ?

I can see breaking in a high powered rifle barrel with jacketed bullets, but not a .22 rimfire barrel on a rifle, let alone a pistol.

Break in the action yes, barrel, I just don't see how it's possible unless you are going to hand lap it.

Ben Reinhardt

On rimfire barrels I don't find any use in a breakin procedure for the BARREL....shooting to get the working/moving parts seated and matched by shooting the gun in ? is all I do.....for centerfire rifles I do the clean and shoot routine.......on CompetitionCF pistols that shoot lead bullets We used to shoot them with jacketed bullets for the first few test to help smooth out the machine marks and the forcing cone in revolvers and then switch to lead competition loads for the sight in and competition after a good back to bare metal cleaning of the barrel and then test to see if a super clean barrel needed any fouling to print to point of aim...but our shooting started out at the close distance so it didn't matter because at close range it would get fouled shooting before getting back to longer distances that needed the real accuracy.... HTH..good luck and good shooting!!